Benchmarking of a 1D Scrape-off layer code SOLF1D with SOLPS and its use in modelling long-legged divertors

A 1D code modelling SOL transport parallel to the magnetic field (SOLF1D) is benchmarked with 2D simulations of MAST-U SOL performed via the SOLPS code for two different collisionalities. Based on this comparison, SOLF1D is then used to model the effects of divertor leg stretching in 1D, in support of the planned Super-X divertor on MAST. The aim is to separate magnetic flux expansion from volumetric power losses due to recycling neutrals by stretching the divertor leg either vertically or radially.Comment: 31 pages, 17 figures. This is an author-created, un-copyedited version of an article accepted for publication in Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion. IOP Publishing Ltd is not responsible for any errors or omissions in this version of the manuscript or any version derived from i

New version of the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI-CAT): translation, cultural adaptation to Brazil and analyses of psychometric properties

BACKGROUND: The Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory-Computer Adaptive Test (PEDI-CAT), developed with innovative measurement methodologies, evaluates functioning of children and youth, from 0 to 21 years, with different health conditions. It is a revision of an earlier instrument (PEDI) that has been used in national and international clinical practice and research. It was felt to be necessary to make this new version (PEDI-CAT) available in Brazil. OBJECTIVES: Translate and culturally adapt the PEDI-CAT to the Brazilian-Portuguese language and test its psychometric properties. METHOD: This methodological study was developed through the following stages: (1) translation, (2) synthesis, (3) back-translation, (4) revision by an expert committee, (5) testing of the pre-final version, and (6) evaluation of the psychometric properties. The 276 translated PEDI-CAT items were divided into three age groups (0-7, 8-14, and 15-21 years). RESULTS: The PEDI-CAT translation followed all six stages. The adaptations incorporated cultural and socioeconomic class specificities. The PEDI-CAT/Brazil showed good indices of inter-examiner (intraclass correlation coefficient-ICC=0.83-0.89) and test-retest (ICC=0.96-0.97) reliability, good internal consistency (0.99) and small standard error of measurement in all three age groups (0.12-0.17). Factor analyses grouped the items from the three functional skills domains into one factor, and items from the responsibility scale into three factors, supporting the adequacy of these factor solutions to the conceptual structure of the instrument and the developmental model. CONCLUSION: The PEDI-CAT/Brazil is a theoretically consistent, culturally appropriate, and reliable instrument. Its availability in Brazil will contribute to the evaluation and measurement of functional outcomes from clinical interventions, longitudinal follow-up, and rehabilitation research

Human Performance Modelling for Adaptive Automation

The relentless march of technology is increasingly opening new possibilities for the application of automation and new horizons for human machine interaction. However there is insufficient scientific evidence on human factors for modern socio-technical systems supporting the guidelines currently used to design Human Machine Interfaces (HMI) (ISA 2014). This dearth of knowledge presents a particular risk in safety critical industries. The continuing 60–90% of accidents currently that are rooted in Human Factors (HF) and the rapid developments in the Internet of Things (IoT) and its novel automation archetypes means that the requirements for new interfaces are becoming more demanding, and creating new failure modes. To address this gap it is necessary to face the issue of modelling the human factor element and be ready to incorporate that knowledge into the design of adaptive automation

Multiple bounded variation solutions for a prescribed mean curvature equation with Neumann boundary conditions

We prove the existence of multiple positive BV-solutions of the Neumann problem \begin{cases} \displaystyle -\left(\frac{u'}{\sqrt{1+u'^2}}\right)'=a(x)f(u)\quad&\mbox{in }(0,1), u'(0)=u'(1)=0,& {cases} where $a(x) > 0$ and $f$ belongs to a class of nonlinear functions whose prototype example is given by $f(u) = -\lambda u + u^p$, for $\lambda > 0$ and $p > 1$. In particular, $f(0)=0$ and $f$ has a unique positive zero, denoted by $u_0$. Solutions are distinguished by the number of intersections (in a generalized sense) with the constant solution $u = u_0$. We further prove that the solutions found have continuous energy and we also give sufficient conditions on the nonlinearity to get classical solutions. The analysis is performed using an approximation of the mean curvature operator and the shooting method.Comment: 28 pages, 1 figur

Use of high-dimensional spectral data to evaluate organic matter, reflectance relationships in soils

Recent breakthroughs in remote sensing technology have led to the development of a spaceborne high spectral resolution imaging sensor, HIRIS, to be launched in the mid-1990s for observation of earth surface features. The effects of organic carbon content on soil reflectance over the spectral range of HIRIS, and to examine the contributions of humic and fulvic acid fractions to soil reflectance was evaluated. Organic matter from four Indiana agricultural soils was extracted, fractionated, and purified, and six individual components of each soil were isolated and prepared for spectral analysis. The four soils, ranging in organic carbon content from 0.99 percent, represented various combinations of genetic parameters such as parent material, age, drainage, and native vegetation. An experimental procedure was developed to measure reflectance of very small soil and organic component samples in the laboratory, simulating the spectral coverage and resolution of the HIRIS sensor. Reflectance in 210 narrow (10 nm) bands was measured using the CARY 17D spectrophotometer over the 400 to 2500 nm wavelength range. Reflectance data were analyzed statistically to determine the regions of the reflective spectrum which provided useful information about soil organic matter content and composition. Wavebands providing significant information about soil organic carbon content were located in all three major regions of the reflective spectrum: visible, near infrared, and middle infrared. The purified humic acid fractions of the four soils were separable in six bands in the 1600 to 2400 nm range, suggesting that longwave middle infrared reflectance may be useful as a non-destructive laboratory technique for humic acid characterization

Development of a first-contact protocol to guide assessment of adult patients in rehabilitation services networks

OBJECTIVE: This paper describes the development of the Protocol for Identification of Problems for Rehabilitation (PLPR), a tool to standardize collection of functional information based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROTOCOL: The PLPR was developed for use during the initial contact with adult patients within a public network of rehabilitation services. Steps to develop the protocol included: survey of the ICF codes most used by clinical professionals; compilation of data from functional instruments; development and pilot testing of a preliminary version in the service settings; discussion with professionals and development of the final version. The final version includes: user identification; social and health information; brief functional description (BFD); summary of the BFD; and PLPR results. Further testing of the final version will be conducted. CONCLUSIONS: The protocol standardizes the first contact between the user and the rehabilitation service. Systematic use of the protocol could also help to create a functional database that would allow comparisons between rehabilitation services and countries over time

Global turbulence simulations of the tokamak edge region with GRILLIX

Turbulent dynamics in the scrape-off layer (SOL) of magnetic fusion devices is intermittent with large fluctuations in density and pressure. Therefore, a model is required that allows perturbations of similar or even larger magnitude to the time-averaged background value. The fluid-turbulence code GRILLIX is extended to such a global model, which consistently accounts for large variation in plasma parameters. Derived from the drift reduced Braginskii equations, the new GRILLIX model includes electromagnetic and electron-thermal dynamics, retains global parametric dependencies and the Boussinesq approximation is not applied. The penalisation technique is combined with the flux-coordinate independent (FCI) approach [F. Hariri and M. Ottaviani, Comput.Phys.Commun. 184:2419, (2013); A. Stegmeir et al., Comput.Phys.Commun. 198:139, (2016)], which allows to study realistic diverted geometries with X-point(s) and general boundary contours. We characterise results from turbulence simulations and investigate the effect of geometry by comparing simulations in circular geometry with toroidal limiter against realistic diverted geometry at otherwise comparable parameters. Turbulence is found to be intermittent with relative fluctuation levels of up to 40% showing that a global description is indeed important. At the same time via direct comparison, we find that the Boussinesq approximation has only a small quantitative impact in a turbulent environment. In comparison to circular geometry the fluctuations are reduced in diverted geometry, which is related to a different zonal flow structure. Moreover, the fluctuation level has a more complex spatial distribution in diverted geometry. Due to local magnetic shear, which differs fundamentally in circular and diverted geometry, turbulent structures become strongly distorted in the perpendicular direction and are eventually damped away towards the X-point